Guidance Matters
Dan Gartrell
Comprehensive Guidance
I met Joe and his mother, Becky, at a Getting to Know You conference before
Dan Gartrell, EdD, is director of the
Child Development Training Program
and professor of early childhood and
elementary education at Bemidji State
University in northern Minnesota. A
former Head Start teacher, Dan is the
author of The Power of Guidance, A
Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom, and What the Kids
Said Today.
Please send your guidance anecdotes and other comments to dgartrell
@bemidjistate.edu.
Thanks to teacher Robin Bakken,
director Dacia Dauner, and the staff
of Campus Childcare at Bemidji State
University for their case study illustrating comprehensive guidance.
Thanks also to Joe and Becky, whose
names were changed.
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1, 3, 7
school started. Joe seemed to be a curious, typical 2½-year-old. His mother was young
and a full-time college student. I could tell immediately that Becky truly loved her son,
and she appeared to be a good caregiver.
Two weeks into the program, Joe began to have trouble getting along with other children. His anxiety level, beginning at drop-off time, seemed to be high. When his personal space was “invaded,” often during group activities, Joe responded by pulling children’s hair, kicking, or yelling Shut up! When teachers intervened, Joe cried and
kicked them. After a few weeks of attempting to guide Joe to use kind words and
gentle touches, the director, other staff members, and I decided we needed to pursue a more comprehensive approach.
I began holding short weekly conferences with Becky to get to
know her better and to offer her encouragement in her parenting. One day, shortly after our meeting I happened to look out
the window and notice Becky sitting on the steps, crying. I took
my break early and went out to talk with her. Becky shared her
frustration over Joe’s behavior: “Why does he act this way? I am
tired and don’t understand. He is so naughty!”
I responded, “Joe is a very sweet and special boy, and his behavior is the way he responds to stress. He feels threatened by
many things right now, and he reacts in the only way he knows. It is mistaken behavior,
and it is our job to guide him. It isn’t an easy job.” I reached over and gave her a hug.
My friendship with Becky continued to grow and so did her trust in me. Together with
other staff members and the director, we developed an individual guidance plan for
Joe. At one conference, Becky suggested that we implement a reward system. We tried
a sticker chart that recorded and rewarded hourly progress.
Becky and I decided that we would call her any time three serious conflicts occurred
in a day. When Joe and I called, I first explained the situation to Becky and then had Joe
talk with her. Becky was firm but loving. Joe loved talking with his mother, and we would
generally see a more relaxed Joe after these phone calls. (I kept
tabs to make sure the calls didn’t become a “habit.”)
Joe’s conflicts with other children continued, and he needed
someone nearby at all times to direct him to more appropriate behavior. I would calm Joe by holding and rocking him. Sometimes I
sang. After Joe was calm, I used guidance talks, and he talked to
me about what happened. These interactions encouraged bonding
and a feeling of trust between us.
I also used humor. I gave Joe options of words to use when he was upset. Yelling
“Pickle!” became a favorite. I also gave Joe a cushy ball to hold during stressful situations such as circle time and made sure that a student teacher or I sat next to him. We
rubbed Joe’s back or arm or held him on our laps. The ball kept his hands busy and the
touch calmed him.
Beyond the Journal • Young Children on the Web • January 2008
Drop-off time was difficult for Joe and set the mood for the day. With the director’s
assistance, I arranged to meet him in the office or lounge to spend one-on-one time
with him, playing a game or reading. The other staff noticed the difference in Joe—and
the entire group—on the days I helped ease him into the class.
Eventually Becky agreed with the staff that an outside mental health assessment was
needed for Joe’s behavior. Dealing with people outside our center made Becky uncomfortable; to ease her stress, I stayed involved during the assessment process. I worked
with the director and others to find resources for Becky; these included a family play
therapy program and the school district’s Early Childhood Family Education classes for
young parents. To keep up communication, the teaching staff who worked the later shift
talked daily with Becky, and I left Happy Grams. Throughout this whole time, the director was a great support to me—and to Becky too.
One day, four months into working with Joe, he was building with Legos when a
classmate sat down next to him and took a Lego off Joe’s tower. Joe’s previous response would have been to pull the child’s hair. This time, however, he shouted, “NO,
thank you!” We were so proud of Joe for using his words.
Our guidance plan was finally showing success. Joe learned to say what he needed
and what he didn’t like. Baby steps were all we needed. Joe grew and so did we.
The experienced professional in this case study teaches young preschoolers
at a university lab center located, like some university child care centers, in converted dormitory space. Her success with Joe and Becky was due to her belief
in them and hard work to provide the leadership that supports comprehensive
guidance.
From this column and many other sources, teachers can learn ways to
address children’s conflicts that build social-emotional skills—through teaching
rather than punishment. Teachers use comprehensive guidance when the individual techniques that usually resolve problems don’t work by themselves and a
child’s conflicts continue.
Comprehensive guidance begins with a plan for use with a particular child and family, sometimes (but not always) called an
individual guidance plan (IGP) (Gartrell 2007). The plan includes
a mix of strategies that build relationships (teacher-child and
teacher-family), reduce the need for conflicts, guide children to
resolve their conflicts, and teach children to get along in groups.
(See “To Increase Your Knowledge,” p. 4) Comprehensive guidance relies on the teacher working with other staff and the family as closely as
possible, so that the child receives a unified message from the important adults
in his or her life. As suggested in the case study, the program administrator must
give support for comprehensive guidance to happen.
Relationship with the family
Teachers often find relationships with families the most challenging part of
comprehensive guidance. Robin began building a relationship with Becky even
before Joe started his first day. Knowing a custodial adult before conflicts (or
accidents) happen is important. Notice also that Robin didn’t just meet with
Becky to deal with Joe’s problems. Sometimes teachers see families only as a
“cause” of the child’s conflicts and a likely obstacle to improving the situation
(Manning & Schindler 1997). The relationship with a child’s family members
should have a life of its own. The teacher takes an interest in the family because
they are members of the classroom community.
Beyond the Journal • Young Children on the Web • January 2008
Individual guidance plans
Individual guidance plans often are the outcome of a formal meeting of all staff
who work with the child, family members, and even (with the family’s permission) outside professionals. The plans can be written out on forms and periodically reviewed and revised or can be arrived at more informally, through a series
of phone calls and on-the-run discussions. In either case, family and teachers
must be on the same page. (See “A Step You Can Take,” p. 4, for information on
using an IGP.)
Robin got Becky actively involved in writing and using the plan and even facilitated an outside assessment for Joe. The teacher kept the cooperation going, taking suggestions and giving them in a friendly way. Robin also worked out a series
of techniques that she consistently used with Joe—and encouraged other staff to
use. The approach
• recognized Joe’s need not just for attention but for a positive attachment with
a teacher who cared about him.
• engaged Robin in contact talks (quality time) with Joe outside of conflict situations to build Joe’s sense of worth and belonging. Key here were Robin’s “good
morning” contacts when Joe first arrived.
• used crisis management techniques, especially touch, that calmed Joe and
helped maintain his relationship with the teachers (Carlson 2006).
• taught Joe coping skills to handle strong feelings through guidance talks.
• was “unrelentingly positive” (to borrow a term I once heard Marian Marion
use), giving ongoing acknowledgment of Joe’s and Becky’s efforts, progress, and
worth as individuals.
Comprehensive guidance takes teamwork among staff, family members, and
sometimes outside professionals. Comprehensive guidance means trying, evaluating, and modifying a mix of guidance techniques that convey to the child this
message: “You are special because you are you and are in this class. You can
learn to get along with others and have a good time.” All staff, beginning with
the director, need to work together in this complex effort. Administrative support is essential.
Only after comprehensive guidance has been used to the fullest ability of staff
without success should anyone raise the possibility of removing a child from
the program. In such a case, the staff should work hard to help the family find a
good alternative placement that will address the child’s needs.
Comprehensive guidance can and often does succeed. Joe remained in
Robin’s classroom for the whole program year. He and his mom moved to
another community the following summer. Were their lives touched for the better? What do you think?
References
Carlson, F.M. 2006. Essential touch: Meeting the needs of young children. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Gartrell, D.J. 2007. A guidance approach for the encouraging classroom. 4th ed. Clifton Park, NY:
Delmar/Cengage.
Manning, D., & P. Schindler. 1997. Communicating with parents when their children have difficulties.
Young Children 52 (5): 27–33.
Beyond the Journal • Young Children on the Web • January 2008
To increase your knowledge
Teachers are rarely taught how to discuss troubling information with parents about
their children. These articles offer some useful ideas.
Kaufman, H. 2001. Skills for working with all families. Young Children 56 (4): 81–83.
Kaufman offers strategies for building working relations with families with low
incomes and those that speak a home language other than English, a key element in
the guidance approach.
Gartrell, D. 2004 The Power of Guidance. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning/Cengage;
Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Chapter 10 discusses comprehensive guidance and includes a case study illustrating the use of an IGP.
A step you can take
Develop and use an individual guidance plan with a child who is having continued
Copyright © 2008 by the National Association for the
Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at
www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp.
conflicts over time. Go to http://danielgartrell1.efoliomn2.com. Here you can access
information on comprehensive guidance and individual guidance plans, including Seven
Steps of Comprehensive Guidance and Notes for Conducting IGP Meetings. You can also
get an Individual Guidance Plan Worksheet by clicking on Download Versions.
Beyond the Journal • Young Children on the Web • January 2008